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How Exactly Does One Cultivate His Mind?

DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
edited November 2010 in Buddhism Basics
How Exactly Does One Cultivate His Mind?

Comments

  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited November 2010
    treat it like a garden
  • LostieLostie Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Good advice. Thanks.
    Pietro Pumokin wrote: »
    treat it like a garden
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited November 2010
    sure thing!!!!!
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited November 2010
    "Cultivate" it in what sense? Spiritually? Intellectually? If the latter, you'd be surprised how effective it can be to give away your TV, and spend the time reading and studying instead! You learn a lot. Taking challenging university classes (in person, or via distance learning), is also effective.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    compassionate_warrior wrote: »
    "Cultivate" it in what sense? Spiritually? Intellectually? If the latter, you'd be surprised how effective it can be to give away your TV, and spend the time reading and studying instead! You learn a lot. Taking challenging university classes (in person, or via distance learning), is also effective.

    By rising from the ashes:)
    I have given my TV away for 2 years and loved it.
    However, where I moved in, they have a TV.
    I hardly watch it.
    Mostly basketball games.
    I am in school/meditate and work.
    I am trying to cultivate it by rising above this dimension?
    Or is that too much to ask for?
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited November 2010
    I find that throwing myself into challenging situations where I'm almost over my head is incredibly stimulating. Maybe after you finish your studies, you could try a new job, or take time off to do a challenging internship, or start your own business. (I realize it's not the best economy in which to take risks these days, but maybe that would be part of the challenge, if you have a gift for business, for networking, and other relevant skills. Or you could start something part-time.) I'm saying this, having no idea of your situation.

    Isn't the TV-free life great?
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    compassionate_warrior wrote: »
    I find that throwing myself into challenging situations where I'm almost over my head is incredibly stimulating. Maybe after you finish your studies, you could try a new job, or take time off to do a challenging internship, or start your own business. (I realize it's not the best economy in which to take risks these days, but maybe that would be part of the challenge, if you have a gift for business, for networking, and other relevant skills. Or you could start something part-time.) I'm saying this, having no idea of your situation.

    Isn't the TV-free life great?

    Yes, it sure is!:)
    I have never been a huge TV person, however, I have trouble with internet.
    I am highly attracted to knowledge, while this is a good thing, it does get you into trouble.
    I am trying to cut down junk and gain experience and only selected information.
    Thank you for those ideas!
    I have tried a few businesses before, but my problem was time.
    I see my calling in non-profit or starting my own non-profit.
    Thank you for the recommendations, once again!
    How are you doing?
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Knowledge gets you into trouble? How?

    I find that mindfulness as to how I spend my time is important to overall happiness (re; your comment about cutting down on "junk"). Eliminating TV time, for example, and substituting reading, research, study. Cutting way down on computer time (haha! Look at all the time I've been spending on this website lately!) is another key thing. It's so easy to fall into habits--I try to be mindful of that.

    Setting up a non-profit is usually very challenging, and bear in mind that there's a LOT of competition out there for charitable foundation funding. And with the economy down, the stock market "iffy" at best, the foundations have less money to spend on a growing number of applicants. (Just giving you a reality check.) Do you have writing skills--can you do grant-writing (the basics are easy to learn, but it helps to be a good writer)? You have to be able to do your own bookkeeping, unless you can find a volunteer for that. Directors of small foundations tend to say that they spend so much time trying to raise money, that there's little time for them to actually do the work they set out to do via the non-profit. But if you're able to get yourself a good board of directors that's willing to put in time, they can help out with the workload, and fundraise, if they have connections.

    I've done this before. Expect it to take a lot more time than you ever imagined. 6 days a week, 10-12 hr. days. Huge responsibility. But also very rewarding, very satisfying.

    Good luck.
  • TheFoundTheFound
    edited November 2010
    answer : how ONE cultivates ONES mind.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Give the man a break; he writes amazing poetry. BTW, you left the apostrophe out of "one's".
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    compassionate_warrior wrote: »
    Give the man a break; he writes amazing poetry. BTW, you left the apostrophe out of "one's".

    Thank you!:)
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    TheFound wrote: »
    answer : how ONE cultivates ONES mind.

    Lol!
    Thanks:)
  • sukhitasukhita
    edited November 2010
    Have a look at the website "Training the Mind" by HHDL. :)
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Have confidence in your ability to stay with experience and take a look at it. It may look confusing or any number of things. But cultivating your mind is cultivating patience. And vision. The vision you see that the thoughts that flit through your mind are incidental and not the important thing. Though they are ok and even wonderful. But there is a space of awareness that is always with you. You don't have to do anything but notice, recognize, honor, celebrate that space of awareness.
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited November 2010
    LeonBasin wrote: »
    How Exactly Does One Cultivate His Mind?

    With an imaginary hoe.

    Or in my case, a spectral weedwhacker.

    Water copiously with compassion.

    Fertilize with meditation.

    And pull the weeds of metaphors.

    Dang! Start over.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited November 2010
    The space of awareness is the soil... I don't know what the seed is... The plants you have different ones in different months...they are the thoughts... some come out blue or red or yellow... some don't come up even though you had been hoping for beauty.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Treat it like a garden is good advice...Be an Ethical Gardener I like that phrase coined by Gen-la Kelsang Tubpa, Plant good crops of practise and pure conduct and weed the garden of negativity and diseased conduct. Water the good crops with the blessings of the Holy beings and nourish it with the sun of your faith and certainly you will produce the fruit you wish for. :)
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Thank you everyone!
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2010
    sukhita wrote: »
    Have a look at the website "Training the Mind" by HHDL. :)


    Thank you!
    Looks great!
  • The_Fruit_Punch_WizaThe_Fruit_Punch_Wiza Veteran
    edited November 2010
    Dismantle concepts.
  • tarikitariki
    edited November 2010
    Pietro Pumokin wrote: »
    treat it like a garden

    Yes, the good old "keep the bugs away" approach advocated by Ajahn Chah....

    Do not worry about enlightenment. When growing a tree, you plant it, water it, fertilize it, keep the bugs away; and if these things are done properly, the tree will naturally grow. How quickly it grows, however, is something you cannot control.

    ( remember though to stay organic.......:winkc: )
  • Ch-an_noobCh-an_noob
    edited November 2010
    The Noble 8fold path is a good start:

    Right Understanding
    Right thought
    Right Speech
    Right Action
    Right livelihood
    Right Effort
    Right Mindfulness
    Right Concentration

    SOme of the post other people mentioned above covered some of these items in detail.
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